Running a business is difficult work. Not only do you have to worry about having your products and services ready to deliver on a moments notice, but you also need to be able to provide quality service to your customers each and every time that they call. This can be hard to do, particularly if you have a limited staff that is already pulled in too many different directions. If you are really serious about taking your customer support capabilities to another level, then you might want to consider opening a service call center. Here are four pointers to help you as you open your first one.
Outsource the Operation
If you are serious about handling all of your customer calls in an expeditious manner, then you will want to outsource the operation. This is how you can avoid keeping your clients waiting on the phone when your already overworked staff are too busy to pick up the telephone. This is important because the faster you can respond to a call, the happier your customers will be.
Make It US Based
You will want to make sure that your service call center is based in the United States. This might be a bit more expensive than other options, but it will give your customers the familiarity that they need when they call you. Say you’re looking to open up a NYC based call center. Look for reliable NEC telephone systems in NJ to handle such a high volume of calls. Make sure that any person who answers the phone when your customers call is a representative of your company. If the connection is shaky people will hang up and go somewhere else. Invest in microphone headsets that work.
Consider Third Party Management
You will not have the time to manage a service call center effectively on your own. There is a lot that goes into this operation in order to make sure that it works as it is supposed to. This is why you will want a third party to manage the call center itself. When something goes awry, it is this third party that can work quickly to fix it.
Implement a Training Program
You will want to have a training program that all service call center staff go through. This training program will explain what your business is all about and go over many of the common issues that customers will call about. This is an important part of the overall process and should not be neglected.
Not only do you have to train your employees about the issues that your customers will call about, it will help massively if you train your staff on how to use their phones. You may be using a provider like Fonebox to help you to bring all the calls into your business, and if this is the case you want people to understand how to use their phones properly. Training will help to bring everyone up to scratch on transferring calls, how to use the calling system and how to put customers on hold. Most inbound training centers are on an automatic dial, so customer calls will automatically come through, but that doesn’t mean that people will know how to forward the calls on properly. Make sure that you are helping them learn how to do this!
If you will follow these four pointers, you will likely find that your first service call center is a success. If properly implemented, this will enhance the overall quality of your customer support. Your customers will notice the difference as you become more productive and efficient. Over time, this will serve as a way to increase your bottom line and increase customer retention.
